Control for fans, blowers, and pumps



Feb. 19, 1935. T, a COLLINS 1,991,659

CONTROL FOR FANS, BLOWERS, AND PUMPS Filed June 12, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L m 97 5. @o/Ahs I VeN TOR Feb. 19, 1935. T. B. COLLINS CONTROL FOR FANS, BLQWERS, AND PUMPS Filed June 12, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVGNIT'OIQ I 81 Ms.

This invention relates eos mot on; Inns, ntowmzam .v V PUMPS Thomas Bosanko Collins, Strathbiiflg o Glasgow,

l Scotland 'fii'p lieafiarimne '12; 1932', Serial No. 675499 j In Great Britain July}, 1932 i 8 .Claims', (Cl; 230+114) to improved means of controllingthe volumetric output and discharge pressure of fans, blowers, pumps and the likeof both propeller and centrifugal type,;by varying 5 the intake, beingrnore particularly a plicable to units of the free intake type, and units running at constant speed;

Anotherform of this inventionis the subject ternia pl a t c p n ne pp icati nse iel No. 575,332, filed June 14, 1933, j

The improved controlling means according t9 the present invention are of the kind in which a curved deflector provided-in an entrancechamher to thecasing; from the eye of the fan isadaptedto be adjusted vary the throat of the entrancechamberin such a manner that the delivery 0t thefluidinto the said casing shall be substantially in the peripheral;

direction of the casing,

-Ac r ineto the p ese invention. the controlling nieans'iorvaryin'g thethroat of the entrance chamber comprisetwo curved plates which are hinged together, the oneplateforming a wall of the entrance chamber and the other plate a: portion of the wall; of the inlet casing facing the eye of the fan; the reduction of thethroatbeing eifected by approaching towards each other and the two, hinged plates :its increase 'by moving them away from eachother. 1

The invention also consists providi-ng each of-two entrance chambers-provided at diametri cally opposite sides of a substantially cylindrical;

casing adjacent to the ,eye of the fan with a pair of curved hinged plates as referred toand connecting; the two pairs of-teplates -by means which will enable them operated.-

to be simultaneously A still further feature of the invention consists in continuing thestationary: curved wall of each of two diametrical-ly opposite entrance chambers by a stationary wall curved-in-the opposite direction and forming a' portion,

ofthe inlet casing'iacing theyeye of the fan preferably one quarter,

and adapting; the free end of; each of the hinged platesforming a movable the casing to move along of the inlet casing. p

portion of the wall of the said stationary wall I'he invention also consists in the improved conwhich the fluid enters which are hinged together ate, the plate h form-V:

own u y o e d-w 1 Referring to the drawings,- q'is the fan casing, adjacent to the eye afgof which there is provided; an air inlet casing b, to which air is admitted through two diametrically opposite air entrance chambers c,- ct The air inlet casin b and the 15 entrance chambers c are formed between the fan casing a and a plate d. e and j are curved plates each extending Substantially over an arc of 99; fixed exactly diametrically opposite one another to the fan easing and plate dby. means of angleirons g; I'he ourved plates e and f form stationary walls at the inlet casing band they, are resiaectivelyen-tendedbyplates e"; and T which are curved in-the opposite directionand are also fixed to the fan casing and theplate cl bymeans of the angle irons o; The extensions 'e' fform stationary walls of; the entrance chambers 0'.

The throat c of each ofthe entrance chambers c is varied bygmea-ns-of two curved plates h; hf

ing; a movable wall 01 the entrance chamber c and the plate 12' amovable wall-of the inlet casing b; these movable walls andthe respective stationary walls e3 1 of the entrance chambers face each other with their convex sides. ,The free end of theplategh is bent over. to format kind of a guiding rod 1 which is provided at its: ends with ferrules-j adapted to engagev and .bei'guided between curved ledges k,j k; provided on thefan casingand the plate (1.: According to a-modificatiomihe free end of the plate In may be pivotally connected to one end or" preferably two swingingarmsytheother end of each ofwhich" connected to afixedpivot, so that the .turning'of the swingingarms around 45 the latter will cause-their ends connected to the plate It to move alongan arc of a circle and theie-' by positively guide the said plate along the required path. The, swinging arms may be mounted H in the entrance chambers c or on the other side of the plates h so as to lie outside the flow. The free end of the plate h is formed with a straight endh which moves in'rcontact; with the stationarycurvedplate;e (or I) of the inlet; cas-p, ing 1; during the variations of;thethroat c.be-

the said pivots passing through" slots d formed in the plate d and extending over circular arcs of 90 near the throats of the entrance chambers of the fluid. It is, however, to be understood that any other suitable means may be used instead.

The pair of hinged plates h, h has been shown, on the left-hand entrance chamber, seen in Figure 1 in four different positions, in each of which the entrance chamber-has the form' of a smoothly converging nozzle with two sides of convex shape facing one another."

When the hinged portions'are moved into their extreme positions, the inlet casing 1) adjacent to the fan eye is closed, being substantially cylindrical, and at intermediate points between the fully open and the fully shutpositions, the inlet casing forms what is substantially a cylinder with openings disposed diametrically 'opposite and extending in a direction parallel to the axis of the cylinder. This construction of the entrance chambers ensures that at all times, except when the nozzles are fully open, the inflow-to the inlet casing or chamber'b is substantially tangential to a circle concentric withtheaxis of rotation of the impeller.

Although the invention has been described above in connection with an arrangement having two entrance chambers,-I wish'it to be understoodthat the invention is not limited-to the number of chambers used and thatthedirection' of the air entering the nozzles formed in the entrance chambers may be either in oragainstthe direction of rotation of the impeller, 7

According qto 'a modification, four .pairs "0 hinged plates may be used insteadof two, as

shown, two pairs of which are kept in the fully open position and stationary while the other two pairs are moved as required. Thus, -for instance, when it" is desired to reducethe outer pressure, the movable pairsof hinged plates which are preferably arranged opposite one another are moved from their full openposition to the position corresponding-to the required pressure and when it is desired to increase the out ward pressure, the said two pairs are -again moved to their full open position and kept stationary while the other two pairs are moved to close nozzles so that the direction of the air entering from the nozzles-isagainst the direction of rotation of the impeller. Thus only two pairs of plates would be moved from their full open position at a time. Asimilar arrangement may of course be used for three or more nozzles;-

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to fans andblowers, being also applicable to. pumps, andthat thedetails of construction may otherwise be varied without in any Way departing from the scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims. Y

What I claim is:

1. Means for controlling the volumetric output and discharge pressure of'a fluid machine having an eye, comprising an inlet casing facing the eye of the machine and having two stationary walls at diametrically opposite sides around portions of the said eye, two entrance chambers at diametrically opposite sides of the said inlet casing, means for varying the throat between-the said inlet casing and two entrance chambers, the

said means comprising foreach entrance cham- 7 her two curved plates which arehinged together, I I

the one plate forming a wall of the entrance chamber and the other plate .aportion oi the wall of the inlet casing, the non-hinged end of the latter platebeing movable along one of. the said stationary walls of the inlet casing and the hinged end thereof being movable around a por- I tion of the said eye which is not surrounded by the said stationary wall, and means for connecting the-pair of plates of one entrance chamber with the pair of plates of the otherehtrance simultaneous operation of the two pairs of curved) plates is arranged outside themachineand con-- sists of atwo-armed lever, the free ends of which are connected to the pivots of the hinged plates.

' 3. Means for controlling the volumetric output and'discharge pressure of ailuid machine" having an eye comprising an entrancechamber; one of the walls of which consists'of a stationary curved plate and. inlet casingfacing the eye 'o't' f the machine and having a-stationary curved wall) around a portion of the said eye, means ior'vary- -f ing the throat between the entrance chamber'an'd the inlet casing, the said means comprising two" curved plates which are hingedtogether, the one plate forming a wall of theentra'nce chamber 7 opposite the wall constituted by the said sta tionary curved plate and the other'plate'a' movable portion of the wall of the inlet casing, the non-hinged end of the latter plate being movable along 'the said stationary curved wall of theinlet casing and a hinged'end thereof being movablearound the portion of "the said-eye which-is notsurrounded by the said stationary curved wall, 1

whereby the said two oppositewalls of the entrance chamber forma smoothly converging nozzle with two convex sides facing one another;

4. Means forco'ntrolling the volumetric output and discharge pressure of' a machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the stationary curved wen 1 of the inlet casing forms a continuation of'the stationary curved plate of theentrance chamber and is curvedin the te direction with r pect thereto. 1 r V t p 5. Means for controlling the volumetric-output and. discharge pressure oi a machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the stationary curvedwall of the inlet casing forms a continuation of the stationary curved plate of-the'entranc'e enem er and is curved in the opposite direction with re spect thereto and in which a portion of the hinged curved plate moving along the stationary'wall of the inlet casing is made substantially near the non-hinged end thereof." 6. Means for controlling the volumetric output and discharge pressure of'a machineha'ving'an eye comprising an inlet casing facing the eye of, the'machine, and having a number of stationary.

walls aroundportions of said eye, a plurality of;

entrance chambers tothe said inlet casing and means comprising for each entrance chamber-two curved plates which are hinged together, the one plate forming a wall of the entrance chamber and the other plate a portion of the wall of the inlet casing, the non-hinged end. of the latter plate being movable along a stationary wall of the inlet casing and the hinged end thereof being movable around a portion of the eye which is not surrounded by' a stationary wall, the said means for varying the throat being capable of being operated independently for each entrance chamber so that some of the pairs of hinged plates can be kept in the fully opened position while the other can be. moved to reduce or increase the throat as required.

7. Means for controlling the volumetric output and discharge pressure of a fluid machine having" an eye comprising an entrance chamber, an inlet casing facing the eye of the machine and having a stationary wall around a portion of the said eye, means for varying the throat between the'entrance chamber and the inlet casing, the said means comprising two curved plates which are hinged together, the one plate forming a wall of the entrance chamber and the other plate a por-* tion of the wall of the inlet casing, the nonhinged end of the latter plate being movable along the said stationary wall of the inlet casing and the hinged end thereof being movable around that portion of the said eye which is not surrounded by the said stationary wall, and means for guiding the hinged curved plate forming a portion of the movable wall of the inlet casing along the periphery of the eye of the machine.

8. Means for controlling the volumetric output and discharge pressure of a fluid machine having an eye comprising an entrance chamber, an inlet casing facing the eye of the machine and having a stationary wall around a portion of the said eye and means for varying the throat between the entrance chamber and the inlet casing, the said means comprising two curved plates which are hinged together, the one plate forming a wall of the entrance chamber, and the other plate a portion of the wall of the inlet casing, the nonalong the said stationary wallof the inlet casing and the hinged end thereof being movable around that portion of the said eye which is not surrounded by the said stationary wall and means for guiding the free end of the curved hinged plate forming a wall of the entrance chamber along a curved path.

THOMAS BOSANKO COLLINS.

"hinged end of the latter plate being movable 

